Kirilenko shines as Jazz blow past Grizzlies

SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) - Maybe Andrei Kirilenko is going to
make it in Utah after all.

The embattled Jazz forward filled up the stat sheet Saturday
night, nearly registering a triple-double to lead Utah to a
118-94 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

It was the second straight All Star-caliber performance for
Kirilenko, who just one night earlier had dominated rookie
phenom Kevin Durant defensively, including a game-saving block
on the final possession, as Utah outlasted Seattle, 103-101, on
the road.

He finished Friday's game just two rebounds shy of a
triple-double but Saturday night, he was even better, scoring
15 points to go along with 12 rebounds and nine assists. He was
one of the key playmakers for one of the strongest performances
yet from the highest-scoring offense in the NBA this season.

"He's been great," Utah forward Carlos Boozer said. "AK's got a
great attitude, he's been working hard. He's been doing
everything. It seems like he's everywhere on the court."

He already had nine assists by the end of the third quarter, but
try as he might he couldn't manage to get that final tally.

After Utah jumped out to a 15-point halftime lead, Kirilenko and
company came out smoking in the third quarter, dispelling any
thought of a rally by the young, but potentially potent Memphis
club.

Deron Williams buried a 3-pointer just 90 seconds into the
second half to increase the lead to 18, and the Jazz built that
to as high as 25 by the time all was said and done as they
continued to push the ball up the floor.

"That's what we've got to do. We've got to learn to put teams
away," Williams said. "I think that's why coach went back with
(the starters) in the fourth quarter, to make sure we had the
victory."

Though Kirilenko scored just one basket in the period, he was
making things happen all over the court vintage play from the
6-9 Russian, for whom performances like this were second-nature
up until his subpar 2006-07 season.

"We know what he can do," Grizzlies coach Marc Iavaroni said.
"He is a tall, athletic defender and he makes things happen and
moves well without the ball. All those things we already know.
He's not a newcomer."

Midway through the third, Kirilenko snatched a Damon Stoudamire
pass out of mid-air one of four steals on the night for the
Jazz forward and led a fast break the other way, dishing a
behind-the-back pass to Carlos Boozer under the basket to put
Utah up 75-53.

Less than a minute later, Kirilenko snagged another steal, this
time finding second-year guard Ronnie Brewer for a lay-in as the
Jazz offense showed no sign of letting up.

"We got some good shots, we were able to get the ball inside, we
were able to pass the ball extremely well and got our hands on
the basketball," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "Andrei, he's
played terrific as of late. He's made some terrific passes and
he's played extremely well."

In the opening moments of the fourth, he helped put the
finishing touches on a relatively easy victory, fading away for
a short jumper off the glass and drawing a foul, completing the
three-point play to put the Jazz's lead back over 20 points.

"That's our game get as many deflections as we can," Kirilenko
said. "I think we played good."

The game was only close in the opening minutes, as the clubs
went back and forth in first quarter. Midway through the second
period, the Jazz went on a 12-3 run thanks to four points and
a pair of assists from Williams to push the lead into double
digits for good.

The closest the Grizzlies got was 13, when sharp perimeter
shooting briefly got them back into contention.

While Kirilenko was nearly reaching double-figures in three
categories, his frontcourt partner Carlos Boozer was seeing his
double-double streak come to an end. Boozer accomplished the
feat in six straight games to open the season, but had just
seven rebounds Saturday night. Still, he carried the offensive
load once again, putting up 31 points.

"If we win, that's all that matters," Boozer said. "The stats
will take care of themselves if we all play hard. If we get a
win, that's a cure-all."

Williams added 20 points and 13 assists for Utah and Gordan
Giricek had 16 off the bench, connecting on 7-of-9 from the
floor.

Rudy Gay led Memphis with 18 points, while rookie Mike Conley
scored 10 and dished out a team-high nine assists.